Design and protocol of Estrogenic Regulation of Muscle Apoptosis (ERMA) study with 47 to 55-year-old women's cohort: novel results show menopause-related differences in blood count

Abstract

The ERMA study was successful in recruiting and characterizing the menopausal status of a cohort sample of middle-aged women. The significant group differences found in the blood count variables and their associations with E2 and FSH verifies menopause-associated changes in WBC composition potentially being an early sign of low-grade inflammation that may develop later in life.